Space initiatives move in to Science Vale Enterprise Zone

Two new space initiatives have launched at Science Vale Enterprise Zone.

Harwell Oxford, within the Zone, is now home to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) first technical centre in the UK, to be known as the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecoms (ECSAT).

It is also the location for the Satellite Applications Catapult, one of seven new government initiatives intended to drive innovation in growing areas of the British economy.

The Zone already hosts lots of space activity, including the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, which builds and tests satellite equipment.

David Willetts, the UK’s science minister said:

“We see Harwell as a campus which is going to provide a combination of world-class science, high-tech activity, and business opportunity.

“One of the reasons why ESA have been so keen to have a stronger presence here is precisely because they could see this was a campus with a buzz, with a range of different disciplines, and with a mixture of scientists and business people. It’s an environment for open innovation.

“The ESA director general, Jean-Jacques Dordain, said “There is now a definitive presence of the UK in space, and it is good news that the UK is back to being a strong player.”